UNICEF and the Global Goals

UNICEF is committed to doing all it can to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in partnership with governments, civil society, business, academia and the United Nations family – and especially children and young people.

Statement

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake

NEW YORK, 10 October 2015 – "Everyone who has the best interests of the Palestinian and Israeli peoples at heart must be increasingly alarmed at the escalating violence in the area.

"Alarmed first at the lives destroyed or shattered. The current violence has left at least eight people dead and scores wounded, including a Palestinian schoolboy shot and killed, and an Israeli toddler stabbed and injured.

"And alarmed also that the escalating cycle of violence seems to be spinning out of control, threatening the lives or futures of many more innocent children and families.

"We have seen this happen before. The last Palestinian Intifada broke out in 2000 and persisted for years, resulting in thousands of deaths, injuries and young lives scarred by hatred and fear. That experience makes it all the more urgent for all sides to step back and exercise restraint, to prevent further attacks and counterattacks and to keep children from harm.

"If not, beyond the new individual tragedies at stake, we will see another generation growing up with the belief that such violence is somehow normal, that it represents a solution to their problems. They will thus be more likely to replicate such violence themselves. An intergenerational cycle of destruction that helps none and harms all.

"For the sake of the children whose lives and futures are at stake, the cycle must not be repeated. For the sake of all of us."

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About UNICEFUNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information about UNICEF and its work visit: www.unicef.org